Tim Warmels can’t tell me who he chose from any of the 25 bachelorettes to be his betrothed. He can’t even tell me if he picked a lass to be his lucky lady at the end of his Bachelor Canada journey. But he’s quick to explain why he didn’t do it.
“I don’t plan on having a career in TV after this,” the 28-year-old entrepreneur says matter-of-factly. “I’m not planning on using this as a springboard to anything. I was there to find love.” Thursday’s Season 2 return finds the Cambellville, Ont., native welcoming over two dozen women to a top-secret location where he’ll begin the process of whittling the girls down to a few precious finalists via dates (group and one-on-ones) set against the backdrop of luxurious locations. That hasn’t changed in The Bachelor franchise formula. What has changed is the role of host Tyler Harcott, who served as sounding board and confidante for Season 1’s Brad Smith.
“The show was a slightly different format,” Warmels divulges. “A lot of that was actually my decision. You’ll have to wait and see. This is supposed to be an odyssey and it’s a journey that you take very solo.”
Unlike the ladies and who answered a cross-country casting call to participate in the sophomore season, Warmels skipped the line thanks to a friend of the show’s producers, Good Human Productions, who suggested he give them a call. Presented with the opportunity to take part, Warmels explains he had a decision to make: continue the search for a mate like he’d done for the last six years or “try this amazingly different thing.”
And, at times, amazingly difficult. The premise, of course, is to eliminate ladies each week, leading to heartbreak and tears. The Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario Honours grad never liked that part of his odyssey.
“The timeline is so constricted that you’re always second-guessing yourself,” he admits. “You’re expected to be this all-knowing god-like man and the only way that you can really connect on the show is when you’re willing to show them your faults and be vulnerable. You have to be open and willing to show everything about yourself to these women. And they need to be willing to do the same.”
The Bachelor Canada returns Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on City.
